Opposition parties today slammed Uttar Pradesh government's decision to offer loan waivers of up to Rs 50,000 to farmers and alleged that it had actually "cheated" them by means of unfair preconditions governing eligibility for the benefit.

"By applying conditions to get benefit of the much awaited loan waiver scheme, the government has cheated with the farmers," BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak alleged while talking to the reporters here.

He said that at the time of the Assembly elections, Mulayam Singh had promised waivers on loans of up to Rs 50,000 but had failed to mention that only a certain class of borrowers could avail of the scheme.

"At that time it was not told that only loans taken from the cooperative rural development bank will be waived off. Is it so that those, who have taken loan from other banks are not farmers," Pathak said.

"SP government is working like multinational companies which display board of sale in bold letters and terms and condition apply is mentioned in small font," he added.

State president of Rashtriya Lok Dal Munna Singh Chauhan alleged that loan waiver announced by the government was nothing more than a "farce".

"Believing SP's promise, farmers did not repay their loans and would now have to face additional burden of interest," Chauhan said.

Due to non-payment of loan, farmers would not get loan in the future as well, he said.

Leader of Congress Legislative Party Pradeep Mathur said that it was an attempt to gain popularity on the birthday of party
supremo, but it would not be considered as SP fulfilling its poll promise.

The announcement of waiving loan of farmers comes on a day when the party is celebrating its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's 74th birthday here.